On Oct. 2, 2023, SpaceXMania published an article claiming that National Football League (NFL) coaches had unanimously voted to ban players from kneeling during the U.S. national anthem:
NFL Coaches Unanimously Vote to Ban Anthem Kneeling Permanently
In a historic and game-changing decision, NFL coaches, including notable figures like Coach Mike Tomlin, Coach Mike McCarthy, and Coach John Elway, have unanimously voted to permanently ban anthem kneeling in NFL games. This unanimous stance marks a pivotal moment in the league's history and reflects the collective desire within the coaching community to bring a definitive end to the anthem kneeling controversy.
The story also appeared on a Facebook page associated with SpaceXMania.com named SpaceX Lovers.
We found comments under the post that indicated people believed the story was real. Many people commented that it was about time such a policy was put in place.
This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. As originally published, the SpaceXMania article featured a "Satire" label above its headline. SpaceXMania describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
Please note that the article under the category "SATIRE" are satirical in nature and are not meant to be taken seriously. These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up. We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate.
We've previously fact-checked related claims about some of the NFL coaches mentioned in the article. Rumors have spread that Tomlin and McCarthy, who are the head coaches of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys respectively, suspended players after they knelt during the national anthem, for example. We found both of those rumors were false, satirical in origin and came from SpaceXMania as well.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.